The shape may be the same, but everything else has been changed.

YouTube’s Tim Burton a.k.a. Shmee150 had the privilege of being invited by Mercedes to Stuttgart in order to have a detailed look at the all-new CLS. It wasn’t an ordinary version of the coupe-ified sedan as the model in question was the limited-run Edition 1 model set to be available for the next 12 months like all of the other Edition 1 cars before it.

Update:

Finished in a fancy Designo Selenite Grey Magno paint, the CLS had the AMG Line specification and was the diesel-powered 400d model, which for the time being is the most expensive of the bunch in Europe. It’s powered by the same newly developed inline-six 2.9-liter engine available in the 350d, but with more power: 340 hp (250 kW) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm), whereas the lesser model has to make do with 286 hp (210 kW) and 442 lb-ft (600 Nm).

Shmee150 managed to learn from Mercedes that while working on the design, the goal was to bring back the magic of the original CLS by creating a similar silhouette. Inside, one significant change compared to the two models before it is the availability of a five-seat configuration - a first for the CLS – thus making the coupe-styled sedan a little bit more family-friendly.

Since we mentioned the cabin, the video gives us the lowdown on the plush interior largely inherited from the E-Class Sedan upon which the 2019 CLS is largely based. Some would have hoped for a bit more variety given the premium the CLS commands over its conventional sedan counterpart, but even so, it’s a nice place to be in.

If you’re not a big fan of diesel (it’s not like they’ll be available in the United States anyway), the CLS can be had in the gasoline-powered 450 version with an inline-six 3.0-liter unit featuring a mild hybrid configuration. It generates 367 hp (270 kW) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm), but that electric-motor generator gives it an extra 22 hp (16 kW) and 184 lb-ft (250 Nm).

All three CLS flavors come as standard with 4Matic all-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic transmission. A lesser 300d is in the offing with a smaller 2.0-liter while at the other end of the spectrum will be the Mercedes-AMG CLS 53. Set to debut at the North American International Auto Show in January, the range topper with a hybridized six-cylinder engine will have roughly 430 hp.